Method of making a carpet anchor strip



S. J. KENT ETAL METHOD OFl MAKING A CARPET ANCHOR STRIP Original Filed Oct. 25, 1954 Fels. 4, 195s INVENTORS MMUEL J. Kf/vr BY M55/e r J. son/ER 2,821,714 lPatented Feb. 4, 19.58

METHOD F MAKING A CARPET ANCHOR STRIP Samuel J. Kent, Van Nuys, and Albert J. Sower, Burbank, l Calif., assignors to Ace Iackless Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York s claims. (ci. 1-82) This invention relates to a method of producing strips that are adapted to be fastened to the oor at the base of the walls andwhich are to serve as'means for anchoring the marginal edges of wall-to-wall carpeting. This application is a division of our pending application, Serial No. 464,305 and led October 25, 1954, now patent No. 2,752,597, dated July 3, 1956.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide a novel, simplified and eilicient method for providing an anchor strip with a set or series of prongs or bars by forming the same from an intermittently fed wire.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a method for driving barbs of the character referred to and which are headless.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method n which two barbs are simultaneously driven into an anchor strip adjacent opposite longitudinal edges of the strip and in longitudinally offset relationship and in which successive pairs of barbs are similarly driven into the strip upon successive intermittent movements of advance of the strip.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of so embedding carpet-anchoring prongs or barbs in a strip as to strongly resist dislodgment of the barbs from the strip.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention may be realized from the following detailed description of a preferred method, the same having basis on the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carpet-anchoring strip produced according to the present method.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing three successive steps of the method.

Fig. 5 is a broken plan view in which the steps of Figs. 2 and 4 are both shown.

The product produced according to the present method comprises an elongated strip that is preferably made of plywood but may also be made of composition material, of which pressed wood fibers and similar fabricated materials are examples. In any case, the strip 10 is capable of being penetrated by a sharpened prong or barb such as shown at 11 so that the same is tirmly anchored.

According to the present invention, each barb 11 is formed from an elongated length of wire 12 which may be of the hardness and temper of wire brads so as to be capable of retaining a sharp point, is quite stiff in use, and yet will bend when deflected by a metallic or other hard surface. While quite stil in short length, the wire 12 may be wound in coils or on spools and it is contemplated that such wire length be so provided for ease of handling and feed.

The end 13 of said wire 12 is directed toward a side surface of the strip 10 so that the same forms an acute angle 14. Before being entered into the strip, said wire end 13 is cut on a plane 15 to form an obtuse angle 16 with the axis of the wire. Thus, said end 13 is provided ...United Stews Patent Oice with a sharp point 18 for easier penetration into the strip. It will be noted that said plane or face 15 forms an angle with the strip 10 that is more obtuse than angle 14.

Formed and directed, as shown in Fig. 2, the wire end 13 is forced from one side into strip 10 and, as the point 17 thereof encounters a hardened face 18 upon penetration of the opposite side of said strip, the same is turned, as at 19 in Fig. 3, by said face 18 and deected out of the line of penetration of the wire. Because of the manner of forming of end 13 and the angle of penetration, the deflection is in the direction of said angle. The degree of such deflection may be varied by varying the amount of penetrating movement of the end 13. A lesser penetrating movement will result in a relatively small deflection 19 while a greater penetrating movement will cause a commensurately greater deection.

After a wire end 13 has been driven into strip 10, as in Fig. 3, said end is severed from the wire 12 on a plane 20 that forms the plane or face 15 on said wire and provides the barb 11 thus formed with a sharpened end 21 that is the complement of the end 13 of said wire 12. Thus, the barb 11 has a sharp point 22 that is the same as the sharp point 17.

After such severance of barb 11 from the wire 12, the strip 10 and wire end 13 are relatively displaced so that said end is directed toward a dilferent portion of the strip and forced thereinto as above described. In practice, it is preferred to keep the wire 12 in the same path of feed and to move the strip in uniform increments so as to be provided with a substantially uniformly spaced row of barbs.

It is preferred that the strip be provided with a double row or two rows of barbs with the barbs of said two rows being alternately offset so that each barb of each row is longitudinally spaced between two barbs of the other row, substantially as shown. Thus, as shown in Fig. 5, two lengths of wire 12 are directed toward strip 10 with the ends 13 of said wires terminating on a line 23 that is at an angle to the longitudinal extent of said strip. When said line is at 45, the barbs of one row will be centrally disposed between the barbs of the other row, providing the increment of feed in the direction of arrow 24 is equal to the space 25 between wires 12.

The simultaneous penetrating feed of two wires 12, as above set forth, entails a simultaneous severance of the wires to form a barb 11 in each of the two rows, and but a single increment of movement of the strip for each two barbs thus provided on said strip.

The angle of cut that severs the barb from the wire may be as shown with the face 20 directed toward the edge 26 of the strip that, in practice, is the ledge located against the base of a wall and may be considered as the rear edge or the edge toward which the barbs are angularly directed. The cut may be made so that said face 20 is directed toward the front edge 27 of the strip. In either case, the severance cut is made to provide the barb with an acutely-angled pointed end.

While we have described what we now believe to be the best mode of carrying out our invention, the same is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. We, therefore, do not wish to restrict ourselves to the particular method disclosed, but desire to avail ourselves of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method for providing a strip with carpet-anchoring barbs that consists in moving said strip longitudinally in uniform intermittent steps, driving the sharpene'dfendfofia wireintofone'face of thestrip andat least to the opposite face during each stationary period between such movements and anchoring the wire in the strip, and cutting through the Wire above the said one face atsuch van'angle as to provide the new Vend `ofthe Wire lwith asharp end'similarfto itsinitialsharp -end and toileavevanchored inf'the'strip a'barb of complementary form to the wire end.

`2. "The method for providing a strip with carpetanchoring 'barbs thatzconsists lin driving the sharpened end-of a Wirefsuccessivelyinto longitudinally spaced portions-ofa strip to'penetrate'said strip and anchoring the end'of thewire in the'strip, and'cutting throughsaid wire above the "face-of the strip into-which it rst entered at suchfanfangle as to prov-ide the severed new end of the wirewitha sharp endqsirnilar4 to itsinitial sharp lend and to lleave anchored in the'strip a barb of complementary formfatofthe wire end.

3."Themetho`d according-to claim 1: the wire being directed to penetrate the strip 'at' an acute .angle so that the barb severed therefrom is at -an acute Aangle to the face of thestrip intowhich the Wire is driven.

-4.'.Themethod according to claim 2:the wire being directe'df to penetrate the strip at an acute angle so that the barb'severed therefrom is at an acute-angle to -the faceof the strip into-which'thewire is driven.

`5. Thef'method ofproviding a carpet-anchoringbarb in a strip having a plurality of barbs, said method consisting in drivingthesharpened end of a length ofwire into one fside of the strip and through the opposite side -4 and deecting the sharpened end to provide the end with anl extraction-resisting part, and 'then cutting vthrough the wire above the side of the strip rst penetrated andvat such an angle to provide a sharp point on the barb thus left anchored in the strip.

6. The method of providingfa carpet-anchoring barb in a strip .havingfa plurality of barbs, saidvmethod consisting in driving the sharpened end of a length of wire into one side of.thestrip and through the opposite'side and deecting ltheI sharpened endtto provide thev end with an extraction-resisting part, and then cutting through the wire above'the'sideofV the'strip iirst penetrated'and at such an angle to provideasharp point on the barb thus leftanchoredfin .the strip, .directing .the wire'at an acute angle to the face of the strip so that said barb is slanted toward a longitudinal edge of the strip.

7. The method according to claim 6: the plurality of barbs being successively applied in astraight row parallel to said 'strip-edge.

8. The method according to `claim 6: the plurality of barbs'being successivelyy applied in a straight row parallel to said stripedge, the .method including the step of simultaneously applying'two such' barbs at'a time, one in said row and the other'irra parallelrow.

-Frye Sept. 19,'1882 Kent et al. July, 1956 

